Lindsey Blair and Bobby Gilles recap and discuss Pastor Jonah Sage's sermon from Matthew 28:18-20.
Lindsey Blair and Bobby Gilles recap and discuss Pastor Jonah Sage's sermon from Matthew 28:18-20.
Lindsey: Welcome to the Midweek Checkup. My name is Lindsey Blair and I’m joined by Bobby Gilles. This past Sunday Pastor Jonah said that our mission is to reach people with the gospel, build them up as Christ’s church, and send them into his world. For some, this means going, but for the majority of us, this means staying and living an ordinary life. This means that wherever we are planted, we are on mission and inviting others into a new way of living where we are forgiven, at peace with God and others, and part of God’s family.
Bobby, what did you think?
Bobby: Jonah pointed out that each aspect of our mission: reach, build, and send, is important by itself, but its true significance comes when we hold it all together. None of the three are optional or less important. Each is an integral part of the mission Christ has given his church.
Now, for anyone who missed the sermon or needs help remembering, let’s do a quick recap.
Lindsey: Jonah noted that Jesus began the Great Commission by saying that all authority on heaven and earth belongs to him. If we have a mission given to us by Jesus who has all authority everywhere, we can step into his mission with confidence. When we are afraid, we remember who is in control. This trust is the foundation of our mission.
Bobby: Because Jesus has authority, we go. This is the first aspect of our mission. We proclaim good news to people, no longer bound by geography or nationality. All people, all tribes, all tongues. And the mission is inherently relational. We are reaching them for relationship. And the mission is not just about going; it’s about staying. Jesus said, “Teach them to obey all the commands I have given you.” The primary way we do this is through our Sunday gatherings. That’s why we say, “Sunday belongs to the Lord.”
Lindsey: We’re going to start increasing our efforts to teach, to learn, to fellowship together on this day, because the vast majority of us are already here and the greatest challenge most of us face in our schedules is already taken care of…namely childcare. Being built up as the church is a coming home … it’s learning who you really are in Christ so you can become that.
A place to hear truth, to remember and experience that you are loved.
Bobby: There’s a danger in only focusing on building people up as God’s church but not sending, though. We become a bunker, huddled together for protection, rather than a city on a hill, shining in the darkness as a beacon of hope and safety. So Jesus sends us, but he does so by pronouncing his peace upon us.
Lindsey: The way we announce the gospel, the way we live, the way we love…it’s salt and light. Jesus uses these metaphors because salt doesn’t “do” salt — it just is salt. Light simply is. That’s our invitation - to be who God has made us to be, in Christ. So we leave this place to go and be that in the world. People are drawn to us, because people are drawn to Jesus.
They are welcomed home, built up, and sent out.
Bobby: This coming Sunday we’ll dive deeper into our mission, vision, and values as a church family in week three of this series, Our Sojourn. Join us, and bring a friend.